Gabriel Chia: A Journey to Empowering Creators
“Because at the end of the day, human beings connect with other human beings. We thrive on human connection,” shares Gabriel Chia, 24, founder and CEO of Viral College as he reflects on his journey to content creation and storytelling.
Gabriel’s journey began when he was just 11 years old, when he acted in an Okto TV series. While most children would much rather prefer being in front of the camera, Gabriel realised he was interested in something else.
Source: Gabriel Chia
“Instead of enjoying the spotlight, I was more intrigued by the technical aspects of filming,” he recalls. He became fascinated with being behind-the-scenes, this curiosity soon turned into a passion. Gabriel invested in his first camera with the money he made from his acting job and immediately fell in love with capturing the moments.
Starting out with basic landscape and street photography, Gabriel decided to explore with shooting for streetwear brands. His passion for photography sparked an interest in videography, which eventually led him to fall in love with filmmaking.
“I spent hours on YouTube teaching myself everything from cinematography to lighting, sound design, editing, and more,” he explains. With this curiosity and dedication, he progressively improved his skills despite having no formal training in filmmaking.
Gabriel always had the dream of pursuing film studies in the US, as he believed that it would bring him closer to becoming a director in Hollywood. “I know that excelling in film school isn’t enough. I need to build connections and immerse myself in the industry,” he says. But the cost of studying abroad made him reconsider his university studies. “It just didn’t make sense at the time,” he admits. Instead, he decided to stay in Singapore and pursued a business degree at a local university from 2022 to 2023.
Gabriel has always been interested in business and entrepreneurship. He came to realise that there are business aspects to film production such as sourcing for funds in order to produce a film, casting for actors and many more. “The film industry is a whole business itself, from finding funds to producing and casting,” he says. Studying business, he thought, would give him a better understanding of how the industry works.
While pursuing his degree, and despite doing well in it, Gabriel felt unmotivated. He found the classes too technical and uninspiring. “I was sitting in class, looking at numbers and theories all day,” he says. Eventually, he decided to drop out of university to do content creation full-time.
His videos slowly gained views, eventually reaching his first million mark, it confirmed that he was on the right path describing how it was “a crazy feeling”. “I felt like I was moving in the right direction.” It gave Gabriel the confidence he needed. “I think many of us have some level of imposter syndrome, especially when you’re self-taught. I hadn’t had prior experience with making viral content, so when my video hit a million views, I felt a mix of relief and fulfilment,” he said.
With the confidence he gained from his passion for content creation, he founded Viral College, a free online platform to help creator-founders to grow their personal brands and scale their businesses through storytelling. “I want to help as many people as possible share their stories and connect through content,” Gabriel explains. He coaches creators on how to build a loyal audience and turn their passions into profitable ventures.
Source: Viral College by Gabriel
A space for anyone looking to build their personal brand and create content.
Gabriel emphasises that Viral College is more than just a business. It is about empowering others to use their voice and share their stories with everyone. “Content creation has changed my life,” he says. “It’s given me the opportunity to live unique experiences and meet incredible people along the way. I believe everyone has a story worth sharing, and I see content as a way to bring people together.” He personally feels that content creation is not about just going viral or making money out of it but instead connecting with people in meaningful ways.
A goal-driven nomad, Gabriel runs his newfound business while travelling the world, a lifestyle he has built for himself through his hard work and dedication to his passion. “Yes, money is important,” he says, “but at the end of the day, it’s the relationships we build that really matter. That’s what we’ll think about when our final day comes.”
